David Wohl; Lawyer, Legal Analyst, and Investigative Reporter; CBS2; Los Angeles
by Regan Morris
Have you ever wondered how to become a legal analyst for network news? You have to go where the trials are. And if you live in California, chances are a major media circus is coming soon to a courtroom near you.
Wohl's media career started with the Scott Peterson trial in 2003. Wohl, a criminal and civil law trial attorney, took some time off from his legal practice to attend the Peterson trial, where he made himself available to journalists covering the case. Peterson was convicted of murdering his pregnant wife, Laci, on Christmas Eve 2002, and the case has received widespread media attention.
For Wohl, it was the start of a new career As a legal analyst, Wohl has commented on most of the major news networks. In 2003, he joined CBS2 Palm Springs as its regular legal analyst covering the Peterson trial, which helped him build a reputation with editors in the newsroom. In March 2005, Wohl moved from the world of commentary to reporting and now works as an investigative reporter while still delivering legal commentary.
Journalism doesn't pay as well as law, so Wohl still tries cases in the mornings. But he no longer takes on criminal cases and focuses on juvenile law so he can balance both careers. Wohl said he hopes to work as a reporter full time in the future.
"It was a big leap because you have to learn how to write stories and also the ins and outs of working in a newsroom and working as a reporter," he said. "Basically, it's like learning Chinese. It's a whole different language, a whole different world you're getting into. And that was just last March when I took that plunge, and things are going pretty unbelievably."
Since then, Wohl has reported legal and non-legal stories, including exclusives on the proposed re-opening of Eagle Mountain State Prison in California and the case of Max and Tracy Littman, a couple charged with a five-year campaign of molestation against their daughter.
Wohl, who has been an attorney since 1989, is also a member of the Juvenile Defense Panel, a group of lawyers who represent children and families in Juvenile Court Dependency cases.
He says his legal knowledge has helped him as a journalist, especially when investigating legal cases, but also with general news researching skills. Although he works for CBS2, Wohl still does regular legal commentary and analysis for Fox News Channel, CNN, and Court TV. And he hosts a radio show on KNWZ in Palm Springs.
And he was one of the few media witnesses of Stanley "Tookie" Williams' execution in December.
"It was really surreal seeing that kind of a human drama take place before your eyes," Wohl said. "Notwithstanding what he did to get there, it was difficult."
As an objective reporter on some cases and an analyst with opinions on others, Wohl said the networks don't consider the two a conflict of interest. On one recent story, Wohl was able to use his legal skills in more ways than one.
"I've actually had a case where I went in and argued before a judge to allow our cameras in a courtroom; and then after the judge allowed that, I covered the case as a reporter," he said, adding that he took on that legal case pro bono. "It was a violent sexual predator seeking to be released from state prison. The judge granted the motion. So we had one news story of me arguing and then for the rest of the week my covering the trial—which was really cool because it displayed both sides of it."
As a trial lawyer, Wohl already had the confidence to talk in front of a group of people with eloquence and conviction. But he says performing in front of the camera can often be more stressful.
"It's similar. The only difference is when you're in court, you can say, 'Strike that' or 'Disregard that,'" he said. "When you're in front of a camera, in front of tens of thousands of people that are watching you, you can't erase what you've said, so you have to be a little more careful."
For an attorney interested in becoming a legal analyst, Wohl said that you have to take time off go to the trials. Sending emails to producers and reporters won't help, because you have to actually go and make the personal contact and be available to talk live on camera. Legal analysts rarely get paid, but they make connections and get national exposure. When Wohl started in 2003, there were a slew of high-profile trials in California.
"At that time, the Peterson trial was just getting going and [NBA star] Kobe [Bryant] and then [Michael] Jackson—all of these big trials were sort of hitting their crescendo," he said. "There's no question that it won't be long before some other celebrity does something stupid and then another big trial starts. It's become a new industry: high-profile televised trials."
Wohl thinks the reason people are so interested in celebrity trials is that it gives ordinary people an eye into another world—and that the interest is unlikely to wane. Legal analysts, Wohl says, should be opinionated, but not too over-the-top. A stance is one thing; pontificating, another.
"I really enjoy reporting, I've developed a real passion for it," he said. "I'm hoping I can move 100 percent into the media. I've done law for a long time, I've gotten my fill of it, and I'm certainly ready to move on when the opportunity makes itself available."
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